PROFESSIONAL BUILDINGS INSPECTIONS ACT

Canberra building inspections –ACT

Please note we are closed this summer of 2016/17.

Often Building Inspectors are not Registered Builders. Our inspectors are qualified Builders. It makes a difference.

Canberra Building Inspections are our specialty. We want to help you. So try us.

If you are not satisfied by our service, we will perform it again and again until you are satisfied.

We inspect all homes: townhouses, houses, row-houses, home units, flats, as well as offices, shops, factories, sheds and anything you might need us for. 045022330863.

Building Inspections give you peace of mind, so there are no regrets. It is too late after you have paid to reverse it.

Most houses have only minor defects, and we can suggest cost-effective real fast solutions for any problems.

We can give you excellent advice. We can also give you contacts in the trade who are fair. If you want to contact us about any problem you have, do so.iii Consultation costs nothing.

Selling, Building or Buying?

Let us inspect your home.

Building Inspections ACT

New South Wales country homes are a specialty

We service all surrounding New South Wales: Murrembateman, Yass, Queanbeyan, Goulburn, Cooma, Gundaroo, Tarago, Bungendore, Jindabyne, Berndale, Waga Waga, Cootamundra, Young and even further away than that. We are very close building inspectors for the local areas of Kippax, Holt, Macgregor, Flynn, Dunlop, Belconnen, Higgins, Latham, Melba, Charnwood, Florey, Fraser, and Spence.

Building inspections ACT

See our Inspection Types for more information. But we do the traditional Pre-purchase Inspections. We also inspect construction stages, noting the progress of your home as it is built. This can be useful if you are not in Canberra during the work. We do commercial inspections. We can also mediate between home builder and buyer. We also do Timber Pest (termite) Inspections, and Energy Efficiency Rating Inspections.

ACT Building Inspections

ACT building inspections are where we inspect the home for obvious structural significant defects, minor defects, and maintenance issues. This is a structural inspection. In effect, we are looking for what should not be there that is, and what is there that should not be. This inspection includes walls, floors, ceilings, roof framing, and external structures such as pergolas, carports and garages, balconies and so on. We will also look at the water-tightness of the envelope of your building, as best we can. We will inform you of obvious places the water can get in and the light.

In addition to the structural inspection, we also inspect the plumbing and electricals. Basically, we want to see if these work or not. That is, does the heater turn on, the lights work, the taps turn off, toilet flushes without leaks and so on. Obviously, we are not plumbers or electricians and do not hold their certificates, but we can help you by determining what works and what does not. If you need an electrical inspection, from the switchboard in, then you will need to commission an electrician, and they can measure power drop and so on.

Please also understand, if we find something that needs fixing, and you are the vendor, we will give you the chance to fix it before we finalize the report. We feel this is fair as most vendors want to see their home go into the hands of well-meaning buyers, and they want to sell their home in the same spirit as they would like to buy it. So included in our prices are finalizing the report so it takes into account any repairs.

Timber Pest Inspections

The Timber Pest Inspection is more than just a termite inspection. Certainly, we need to let you know if we find termites, or if there has been evidence of them. But we also will inform you of any borer, fungus, and timber that is rotting. We will also let you know if there are materials on site that are conducive to breeding termites, and what to do with it. We also look for any damp or other conditions that may encourage termites. And we will always give you a solution for what we find, regardless of if you are vendor or buyer.

Compliance Report

The compliance report is where the ACT building inspector looks at the plans that ACTPLA (the ACT Planning and Land Authority) have supplied and then also looks at what is built. He compares them, what is meant to be there and what is actually there. The inspector then writes a Compliance Report. This report has all the drawings submitted by ACTPLA noted, and also noted are all the certificates of occupancy, the plan numbers, permit numbers and so on. In addition, if there are structures that are built without approval, they also are noted as being there not in accordance with the drawings. In addition are also noted those structures that have been built, but which are also exempt from needing approval.

ACTPLA Conveyancing Package

This is a PDF file that ACTPLA send out. It is ordered online by the building inspector. It takes a standard three to five working days for the file to get sent back to the inspector. The cost of the file is incorporated into the price of all the inspections. The file has the floor plans of all approved structures, as well as their sections and elevations. It does not always have every page of each set of submitted drawings, but it represents each approved set of drawings submitted. This document also has copies of all the inspections and approvals for the construction as well. It also shows the original surveyor’s layouts, and so on. It has the evidence of if the property was a government building. And on government buildings, called ex-govies, these homes are strong, be they old. They were built by the Department of Works. So it is good to have legal confirmation if you have one.

Energy Efficiency Rating

The Energy Efficiency Rating is a digital algorithm known as First Rate 4. This is the fourth version of the First Rate programs. This program has the energy-rater to work out the floor areas, their floor coverings, any insulation, and then the walls, ceilings and so forth are all worked out and entered into the program. The windows are measured and their blinds and curtains are taken into consideration and any shade or blockages that might affect the energy needs of the building. It is all there, including vents, fans, window types, their frames and so on. When it is all inputted into the program, the final product is the energy rating is shown as so many starts, from 0 stars to 6 stars. There are also point values assigned as well. This system allows a person to compare the rating of one home to another. Included in this is the cost of the energy-rating fees payable to ACTPLA for doing each energy rating.

The first page of the energy rating document

Our prices are keen and fair

We give a good price. We are not expensive, and we provide professional service. Have a look at our prices page. Our standard 4 reports ACT Vendor Inspection Package is $897 inc GST for payment upon invoice, or we can accept payment upon Delayed Settlement for $977 inc GST; our Standard Building Inspection is $427 inc GST. Prices are inclusive of ACTPLA fees. Click here for price link.

One thing you will find refreshing about us is that we are a small group and believe integrity is important. We believe that helping you is the old style, but effective, way of doing business. If we help you, we feel it goes around. We treat others as we would like to be treated ourselves. That is the golden rule, and it works for all businesses, including ours. So when we meet you, we are trying to be in your shoes, buyer or vendor, and that is how we want to treat you. What would we want of us, if we were the vendor or buyer?

Our Vendor Building Inspection Package

Selling your house, or townhouse in Canberra? Our ACT Vendor Inspections Package is what you need. You will need all four inspections: Building Inspection, Timber Pest Inspection, Energy Efficiency Rating, and Compliance Report. Plus we include the Conveyancing Package.

We are registered builders, and can give advice that may help you sell your home. In Canberra, by law, you need the full ACT Vendor Inspection Package before you can sell or list your home for sale. Our basic package for this is $897 inc GST.

The Buyer’s Building Inspection

If you are a buyer and you want us to inspect your potential new home, then that is very normal. Such will happen if you want an inspection in New South Wales, where there is no compulsory vendor inspection. You may also wish to have a unit inspected in Canberra. Units do not require the vendor to do the inspections the same as houses or townhouses. If you want to just get a Building Inspection, the cost is $427 inc GST. If you want a building inspection and a Timber Pest Inspection, the standard price is $567 inc GST.

Are You Building?

Often at the end of the build people ask for a building inspection. There are two major reasons. First, the builder generally performs better, after all, few people like to have slipshod work exposed for others to see. Secondly, it enables a professional to look at the building you are about to move into, name out all the defects and get an agreement that the defects will be rectified. Generally, we will find many more defects than you will as a home owner. Additionally, we will not be bamboozled by any building talk. These inspections work best if the builder is present, and are done very amicably.

Footings being poured

The key time to do this inspection is before you sign for the paper that the building is practically complete. This term – practical completion – is a legal building term. It is best to get your inspection before you sign over the property as practically complete. The practical completion inspection is $427 inc GST.

There can be inspections through the building of your house as well. They can be at plate height, or any other stage that concerns you. Below is a first-floor concrete pour inspection.

Suspended slab ready to pour during an inspection

Special Inspection

A special inspection is just that. It is a special inspection. That means it is all the other kind of inspections you can think about. If you have had a bad inspection and you want a separate inspector, we can do it. If you have had some bad building work and you want it independently inspected, we can give you a report. Generally, we charge $427 inc GST.

If you have had someone build you a deck and you are not happy, get us to inspect it. If you think the builder is building in a substandard manner, get us to inspect it. That is how it works. If you have a special need for an inspector we can do the inspection.

Building from Interstate or Overseas?

If you are building from interstate, or overseas, you could need construction inspections, especially at the practical completion stage.

Building, where you have access to the property to see it, can be nerve racking enough. But building from overseas or interstate requires nerves of steel. You should not want to pay the next installment when it is really not ready. So let us be your eyes and ears on-site so that you can do your own job at home.

So, who are we, and should you work with us?

You will never really find out if you do not telephone us. Talking to us, you will sound us out, and find out if we are for you. The person who is writing the copy for this page is the same person who is going to talk to you on the phone, and if you let him, he will do your inspection for you.

Judge us by what we promote. Here is a piece of advice and philosophy, by the owner of this site: What is the definition of work? Work is an opportunity to give back to society, from which you have been drawing upon since birth. And, for that, you get paid. This simply philosophy is by Nick Broadhurst, the founder of this business, and it permeates the business. And if that is not enough, he may ask you, what is the purpose of money? The answer is: Money simply exists to improve well-being and livingness of life. If money is not being used for this, and only this, then it is not following its natural purpose.

Building Inspections

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You can also book online directly. That is okay as well.

The best way to book is to simply call Nick and tell him what you want to do. He will confirm the price and what exactly has to be done. If you cannot get hold of us, for whatever reason, go to Canberra Building Inspections here from this second page.

You will also be asked to sign an authority form. This is for ACTPLA, so that we can order the conveyancing files for you. From September 2015 onwards ACTPLA will not deliver files to building inspectors without the digital written signed approval of the property owners/lessees.